Now that it's all over with the NCAA, some perspective on Pruitt and his tenure here

[volfeeva]

Well I addressed that, but I will again: Because we didn't win. When you win, you generate money. As long as you keep generating money, the NCAA isn't going to mess with you. Break the rules and lose, and you're low hanging fruit.

As for "proving" Kirby did it, come on now... that's not exactly uncommon knowledge. Kirby's first year he was 8-5, and he should have lost to Nichols State, he lost to Mason's Vandy, he lost to Butch, and he got humiliated by Freeze's Ole Miss.

But the very next year, suddenly nearly 20 four and five star players were dying to play for him over anyone else? The recruiting classes right after his first year looked like this:

1. Bama (just won the Natty 2 years before)
2. Ohio State (won the Natty 3 years before)
3. Georgia (8-5 with some really bad losses, hadn't won a Natty since 1980)
4. FSU (Won the Natty 4 years before)

Now which one of those teams is not like the others, but was somehow recruiting at the same level?

Thanks for the attempt, but to me you haven't made a compelling argument that Georgia was doing the same thing and was over looked by everyone. In this day and age of players not coming to a school out of loyalty like days of old, it's hard to imagine a program where they were paying players as wide open as you suggest and none of the players dumped on the school, or spilled the beans on what was going on. I still say any school like Bama and Georgia that plays for the NC frequently is going to have those folks doing all they can to find infractions they can dump on them.
And using your theory ( connecting the dots of Kirby paying players getting Georgia instant talent by his 2nd year )---that didn't happen with Pruitt. He paid players and they still sucked. I'm sure there are fans of other schools right this minute saying that Tn got a sweetheart deal after they were caught cheating---I mean so far, this is far from a death penalty for some pretty serious infractions.

 

[posivol]

Well I addressed that, but I will again: Because we didn't win. When you win, you generate money. As long as you keep generating money, the NCAA isn't going to mess with you. Break the rules and lose, and you're low hanging fruit.

As for "proving" Kirby did it, come on now... that's not exactly uncommon knowledge. Kirby's first year he was 8-5, and he should have lost to Nichols State, he lost to Mason's Vandy, he lost to Butch, and he got humiliated by Freeze's Ole Miss.

But the very next year, suddenly nearly 20 four and five star players were dying to play for him over anyone else? The recruiting classes right after his first year looked like this:

1. Bama (just won the Natty 2 years before)
2. Ohio State (won the Natty 3 years before)
3. Georgia (8-5 with some really bad losses, hadn't won a Natty since 1980)
4. FSU (Won the Natty 4 years before)

Now which one of those teams is not like the others, but was somehow recruiting at the same level?

thats a fact jack.

 

[onevol74]

He was a Bammer plant and I'll hate him all I want to. He's dead to me.

I disagree with the plant theory. I think Fulmer hired him thinking he was dumb enough to control and that is the reason that Fulmer was so involved with coaching. If cornbread did not have enough success Fulmer could run him off and take over the program again.

 

[Teeman]

Thanks for the attempt, but to me you haven't made a compelling argument that Georgia was doing the same thing and was over looked by everyone. In this day and age of players not coming to a school out of loyalty like days of old, it's hard to imagine a program where they were paying players as wide open as you suggest and none of the players dumped on the school, or spilled the beans on what was going on. I still say any school like Bama and Georgia that plays for the NC frequently is going to have those folks doing all they can to find infractions they can dump on them.
And using your theory ( connecting the dots of Kirby paying players getting Georgia instant talent by his 2nd year )---that didn't happen with Pruitt. He paid players and they still sucked. I'm sure there are fans of other schools right this minute saying that Tn got a sweetheart deal after they were caught cheating---I mean so far, this is far from a death penalty for some pretty serious infractions.

I can't help but remember Pruitt's quote to the KPD in regards to the Jeremy Banks arrest, "This doesn't happen at Bama and Georgia". Let's be honest, the NCAA isn't going to catch anyone doing anything. They sit in their ivory tower and wait on programs to self report or for some disgruntled party to blow the whistle. Nine times out of ten, this isn't going to happen at a winning program. Problems at winning programs are handled "internally". Case in point, numerous weapon and drug charges at Bama. Hell, at Bama you can hit a female on national TV and walk away from it. Shocking considering the punishments handed out by the NFL for domestic assault. At Bama, you can be involved in a murder and not be charged if you're a high enough NBA draft pick. Similar thing at Georgia. If you're a first round NFL pick, you can literally walk away from a fatal car crash you helped cause, have your charges reduced, and get your case expedited so it doesn't affect your draft status.

The AJC brought to light eleven cases of sexual assault at Georgia that were swept under the rug. That's just the ones they know about. Has anyone heard the SEC or the NCAA make a statement on the accusations? I haven't. They took Smart's word that the accusations lacked merit. The investigating police officer in a recent case kept saying to the UGA staff "fixer", "My Dawgs". The same player in that case publicly made a racist comment on social media during the NFL draft. Players have been released and numerous people have lost jobs for similar actions.

I'm not saying these problems don't exist at a lot of programs, UT included, but you're delusional if you think they are handled in the same manner. Have a winning record and you get the benefit of the doubt. Saban doesn't answer to anyone. The SEC and NCAA are intimidated by him. Smart basically refuted the AJC article and it was end of story. Urban Meyer left a path of destruction, but he won championships. He could have a coaching job tomorrow if he wanted it. People around the Penn State program knew what was going on for years, but no one was going to refute a coaching legend. Have a losing record AND a big contract? Well, ask Pat Fitzgerald what happens.

 

[ftsandersvol]

Hate to say it but Fulmer looks awful in this situation. Bottom line there are only two scenarios. Either he knew what Pruitt was doing and was complicit or he had his head in the sand and failed to monitor the worst and the cheatingest coach in UT’s modern history. Take your pick. Neither choice makes him look good.

 

[Volador]

Where Pruitt went wrong is that he got caught cheating...... (w references to South Park episode about athletes cheating on their wives)

 

[A2K]

He cheated like a bi@ch and made millions to loose to Ga State and BYU...and we are getting hammered years later with a new coach and new personnel....thanks there..di@# shine...glad u were involved

 

[Mccage]

Pruitt had to have had alot of practice cheating. Like the OP said we weighed the odds and Pruitt lost. We finally got some smart people making decisions

 

[northknoxvol]

I still believe that Pruitt was sent here by the Bamers to exact revenge against TN for the Fulmer years. How do you go from being in charge of that amazing Bama defense to a complete and total idiot that does not know anything about football. You have to try really hard to lose to Georgia State.

 

[Mccage]

Where Pruitt went wrong is that he got caught cheating...... (w references to South Park episode about athletes cheating on their wives)

I’m sure his scratching his head wondering who in the hell gets a ticket for J walking

 

[kiddiedoc]

I disagree with the plant theory. I think Fulmer hired him thinking he was dumb enough to control and that is the reason that Fulmer was so involved with coaching. If cornbread did not have enough success Fulmer could run him off and take over the program again.

That's even crazier than the "plant theory." Let me know if you see him panhandling on the streets of Birmingham.

 

[top5vols]

Butch or Pruitt?

 

[KnoxRealtorVOL]

I can't help but remember Pruitt's quote to the KPD in regards to the Jeremy Banks arrest, "This doesn't happen at Bama and Georgia". Let's be honest, the NCAA isn't going to catch anyone doing anything. They sit in their ivory tower and wait on programs to self report or for some disgruntled party to blow the whistle. Nine times out of ten, this isn't going to happen at a winning program. Problems at winning programs are handled "internally". Case in point, numerous weapon and drug charges at Bama. Hell, at Bama you can hit a female on national TV and walk away from it. Shocking considering the punishments handed out by the NFL for domestic assault. At Bama, you can be involved in a murder and not be charged if you're a high enough NBA draft pick. Similar thing at Georgia. If you're a first round NFL pick, you can literally walk away from a fatal car crash you helped cause, have your charges reduced, and get your case expedited so it doesn't affect your draft status.

The AJC brought to light eleven cases of sexual assault at Georgia that were swept under the rug. That's just the ones they know about. Has anyone heard the SEC or the NCAA make a statement on the accusations? I haven't. They took Smart's word that the accusations lacked merit. The investigating police officer in a recent case kept saying to the UGA staff "fixer", "My Dawgs". The same player in that case publicly made a racist comment on social media during the NFL draft. Players have been released and numerous people have lost jobs for similar actions.

I'm not saying these problems don't exist at a lot of programs, UT included, but you're delusional if you think they are handled in the same manner. Have a winning record and you get the benefit of the doubt. Saban doesn't answer to anyone. The SEC and NCAA are intimidated by him. Smart basically refuted the AJC article and it was end of story. Urban Meyer left a path of destruction, but he won championships. He could have a coaching job tomorrow if he wanted it. People around the Penn State program knew what was going on for years, but no one was going to refute a coaching legend. Have a losing record AND a big contract? Well, ask Pat Fitzgerald what happens.

@volfeeva please read this in its entirety, several times over even.

 

[BowlBrother85]

I don't hate the guy. Pruitt simply tried to play the game that the whole world knew Kirby was playing, which of course, he learned from Saban. He also did this under Fulmer's direction, which is not a shot at Fulmer because he also just tried to play the game. Fulmer had Tennessee's best interest at heart and wanted to do what it took to win, he saw mimicking Kirby and Georgia as the path to that.

Pruitt and Fulmer both knew that there was no way to compete with Georgia for the East without throwing stacks of cash at high school kids when it was illegal, because that's exactly what Kirby was doing. Now of course, Pruitt's fault in the matter was that he didn't win. If you want the NCAA to look the other way, you have to be a winning cash-cow for them.

There are several things wrong with your post, but I will just focus on this ...

1) There is no way in hell that either Saban or Smart are hand delivering cash to players themselves, much less involving their wives. They use bag men ... which anyone with a modicum of common sense would do.

2) There is no proof that Fulmer directed Pruitt to pay players. That's pure speculation, and unlikely speculation at that. Fulmer is responsible for the Pruitt hire, however. This was his baby.

 

[indian rick]

I don’t hate him either but I do think he’s the worst coach in the program’s history. He and his staff blatantly cheated and still only won 16 games over 3 years, AND one of those years was arguably the worst season in the history of the program.

I think he was better than Dooley

 

[volfeeva]

@volfeeva please read this in its entirety, several times over even.

So far I haven't seen anything that suggests Georgia or Bama was paying players to the degree that Pruitt/wifey was doing. How do you figure that Tn got caught but no one at Georgia or Bama has spilled the beans about paying players for years now ? As for winning programs getting a pass for infractions, many fans are saying the same thing about Tn getting off kinda light here when you consider the sheer number of players being paid= 200 or so.

 

[GetYouSomeofThat]

I think he was better than Dooley

At what?

 

[strkr]

You've made many statements that Kirby was doing the same thing. So why did they only go after Pruitt ? I'm not saying Georgia is a clean program, but I think if you're going to make accusations about a program/coach you should back it up some how. The notion that a winning program gets away with infractions just because they are a winning program seems to lack logic on any level. AKA bummer and Georgia with kirby.

 

[Zues1]

He's a pos Bama bubba.
Glad he's long gone

 

[imw8n4u]

At what?

Poker.

 

[Delmar]

Unfortunately we will probably never know which one but agree, it was one of those 2. And the school let him off the hook to 'retire' and paid him big $ to leave.

Agreed. Probably paid because the ensuing fight would have been extremely ugly. Looking at all of this mess, he should have been fired for gross negligence and not paid a dime.

 

[VOLINVONORE]

It's finally behind us, and at the end of the day we ultimately traded Pruitt for some recruiting/scholarship penalties and the hiring of Heupel, so we ended up winning in the overall big picture.

But as for Pruitt, I see a lot of people bashing him and celebrating that he's not likely to get a job for at least 6 years. But if I may give some perspective...

I don't hate the guy. Pruitt simply tried to play the game that the whole world knew Kirby was playing, which of course, he learned from Saban. He also did this under Fulmer's direction, which is not a shot at Fulmer because he also just tried to play the game. Fulmer had Tennessee's best interest at heart and wanted to do what it took to win, he saw mimicking Kirby and Georgia as the path to that.

Pruitt and Fulmer both knew that there was no way to compete with Georgia for the East without throwing stacks of cash at high school kids when it was illegal, because that's exactly what Kirby was doing. Now of course, Pruitt's fault in the matter was that he didn't win. If you want the NCAA to look the other way, you have to be a winning cash-cow for them.

If you blatantly play the game Kirby played pre-NIL, but don't win, you became an easy target for the NCAA to flex their muscle.

So we're here now, the dust is settled, and things are getting way better at a rapid rate on Rocky Top. Kirby has his two Natty's but also has publications like the AJC pointing out the excessive shadiness going on behind the scenes there.

I don't hate Pruitt for what he tried to do. The real villains in this story are our shady rivals. We already took one of them down, now it's going to be extra extra sweet when we remind Georgia that even with their cheating, they belong under Tennessee in the great pecking order of the SEC.

One way to look at it, we would not have White or Heupel if we still had Pruitt. I know which where I stand on the question.

 

[VOLINVONORE]

It's finally behind us, and at the end of the day we ultimately traded Pruitt for some recruiting/scholarship penalties and the hiring of Heupel, so we ended up winning in the overall big picture.

But as for Pruitt, I see a lot of people bashing him and celebrating that he's not likely to get a job for at least 6 years. But if I may give some perspective...

I don't hate the guy. Pruitt simply tried to play the game that the whole world knew Kirby was playing, which of course, he learned from Saban. He also did this under Fulmer's direction, which is not a shot at Fulmer because he also just tried to play the game. Fulmer had Tennessee's best interest at heart and wanted to do what it took to win, he saw mimicking Kirby and Georgia as the path to that.

Pruitt and Fulmer both knew that there was no way to compete with Georgia for the East without throwing stacks of cash at high school kids when it was illegal, because that's exactly what Kirby was doing. Now of course, Pruitt's fault in the matter was that he didn't win. If you want the NCAA to look the other way, you have to be a winning cash-cow for them.

If you blatantly play the game Kirby played pre-NIL, but don't win, you became an easy target for the NCAA to flex their muscle.

So we're here now, the dust is settled, and things are getting way better at a rapid rate on Rocky Top. Kirby has his two Natty's but also has publications like the AJC pointing out the excessive shadiness going on behind the scenes there.

I don't hate Pruitt for what he tried to do. The real villains in this story are our shady rivals. We already took one of them down, now it's going to be extra extra sweet when we remind Georgia that even with their cheating, they belong under Tennessee in the great pecking order of the SEC.

One way to look at it, we would not have White or Heupel if we still had Pruitt and likely banned from having any football program. I know which where I stand on the question.

 

[BowlBrother85]

And Pruitt met his wife when he was a secondary coach at FL St. AND she worked in the schools NCAA compliance dept. She knew exactly what they were doing was wrong and did it with him anyway. She must have thought she could out-smart the NCAA.

That makes you wonder how much Florida State was in compliance with NCAA rules in 2013.

 

[WillisWG]

Time to put all things Pruitt behind us. No more Pruitt threads, no more discussion on his time on the Hill.